Hello everyone, here’s to another week. You may have noticed that I didn’t post anything this week. I had planned to, but a couple things got in my way. The first is that I have an assignment for grad school due on Wednesday (and I’m still trying to squirm my way through that). The second is that I got a new puppy on Saturday, hence the subtitle “puppy jail”.
Bubba sleeping in his kennel
My new puppy, Bubba, is only nine weeks old. He’s also a Toy Fox Terrier mix (probably mixed with Pomeranian but we don’t know for sure), so he needs extra care and attention to make sure that his blood sugar doesn’t drop, he doesn’t get too cold, and, of course, no one steps on him. He’s still too small to be fixed (that’s planned for December) and we have to take him in for some shots, so that’ll keep me busy. Raising a puppy takes a lot of time and energy, especially in the beginning.
Between my critical response and Bubba, I’m going to be even more sporadic about how often I post for the next couple weeks than usual. I do have a couple posts planned for this week, including some information on a new Honeycomb story by Wren Cavanagh and a book review for The Art of Winning by Matshona Dhliwayo, but I can’t guarantee when those will be up.
Thanks as always for your understanding. I’m sure that most of you are busy with your own personal lives and NaNoWriMo anyway. For my American readers, Thanksgiving and Black Friday are also coming up and that’s always…fun? Busy? Horrifying?
Good luck to everyone on your current projects, and I’ll see you later this week. And here’s an extra “good luck” to those still cranking away at their NaNoWriMo goals.
Today I got the latest edition of Writer’s Digest. As I was perusing and generally avoiding working on my critical response due next week, I came across an interesting article about a publishing trend which involves hiring “sensitivity readers.” Needless to say, I was intrigued to learn more.
What are sensitivity readers? Mandy Howard, who wrote the article published in Writer’s Digest, was kind enough to provide a definition from Writing in the Margins, an online database of sensitivity readers: sensitivity reading is editing for “issues of representation and for instances of bias on the page” (Writer’s Digest, January 2018, p. 8).
With this definition in mind, I’m going to turn to an aspect of the article which, admittedly, bewildered me. Namely, a passionate debate about the role/appropriateness of these specialized beta readers has be sparked with #diversity, #thoughtpolice, and #ownvoices.
The debate really shouldn’t surprise me. After all, everyone has a different opinion on everything. (I dare you to ask the question “Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie?” in my household. You will get three distinct, passionate, and articulately-argued answers.) Still, my personal view of the matter made the debate seem unnecessary to me.
Here are the three sides of the argument:
#diversity: These are the readers and writers who support people at all stages of the manuscript’s development hiring sensitivity readers. Their argument is that it is just another kind of fact-checking. After all, if you are writing from a perspective which is not your own, you are most likely to get something wrong. Don’t want egg on your face because you misidentify a Muslim woman’s garment, right? And what if you inaccurately described how a deaf student interacts with his professor? Nobody’s perfect. If we’re going to include diversity in our works, we have to make sure that we do it right.
#thoughtpolice: These critics of the concept believe that sensitivity readers suppress creativity and expression. Howard points out that ptheir argument often falls back on the claim that classics such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Of Mice and Men, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin would not have been written the way they were under such insistence on political correctness because they portray these groups so negatively. One Washington Post letter to the editor which Howard references even compares sensitivity readers to censors.
#ownvoices: This hashtag arises from more critics of this concept, but they don’t criticize it for nearly the same reason as #thoughtpolice. Their problem doesn’t seem to be with using sensitivity readers. Rather, they argue that people from these diverse groups need to write themselves. Shouldn’t we have books about African Americans written by African Americans? Books with transgender characters by transgender authors? How about books about Jews by Jews, or books about autistic characters by autistic writers? We need more diversity in our writers as well as our characters.
You have probably already guessed my position on the matter. I side most with #diversity and #ownvoices.
I think that sensitivity readers, like other beta readers and editors, serve as tools for revision and refinement. More importantly, they’re a research source. Just like you would search the Web, scour the archives, and interview experts (including those with first-hand experience), you can gain invaluable information about a different perspective from your sensitivity readers. Nothing enriches writing more than genuine human experience.
In regards to #ownvoices, I agree. We need more writers from diverse backgrounds. I’d much rather read about a perspective when written by someone with that perspective. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we shouldn’t write from different perspectives. We need to have both in order to represent realistically-diverse worlds in our stories. Sensitivity readers will ensure that we accurately portray perspectives which aren’t our own, and utilizing this resource is a step in the right direction.
What do you think about sensitivity readers? Are they fact-checkers or censors? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, but please remain civil. We welcome all view points so long as they are expressed respectfully.
Happy Hump Day, everyone. It’s a chilly, rainy, dreary day up here in the backwoods of Northern California. You know what that means? Winter is coming. Literally. You know what else it means? It’s time for my Seasonal Affective Disorder, also called SAD, to kick in.
What’s Seasonal Affective Disorder, you might ask? It’s a form of depression related to changes in season. It begins and ends around the same time of year; for most people, it starts in fall and continues through winter, although rare cases can begin in spring or early summer. Essentially, it saps your energy and makes you moody.
So, in my case, my depression gets a lot worse once it starts to feel like fall–i.e. shorter days, stormy and cold weather, etc. It really gives me a love/hate relationship with rain and this time of year. I love rain and Halloween but I’m also moody and get virtually nothing done. (What can I say? I’m a mass of contradictions.) Even my normal anti-depressants don’t help as well during this time of year.
You might be wondering by now: how does this affect my writing? Not in a good way. There are more excuses to stay inside and I should be happy because it’s finally raining and we’re no longer suffering heat in the 80s or higher. I, at least, would expect that to be my ideal writing conditions. The reality? I’m drained all the time, I don’t want to do anything but sleep, I’m irritable, and I can’t concentrate. In other words, I have a hard time writing around this time.
Seasonal Affective Disorder is one of the reasons that I hate NaNoWriMo being in November. I’ve found that if something can go wrong in a writer’s brain, it will. Perhaps it’s Murphy’s Law of a Creative Mind. I’m guessing that I’m far from the only writer with Seasonal Affective Disorder, which makes the timing of NaNoWriMo, to say the least, inconvenient.
How can writers deal with SAD long enough to actually write?
I’m not going to lie, I don’t have any method guaranteed to snap you out of it every time. I know because nothing pulls me out of SAD every time I need it to. However, some methods can help ease the symptoms and, with any luck, something can get written.
Some of these methods work on Generalized Depression and other forms of depression as well as Seasonal Affective Disorder. Others specifically target the symptoms of SAD. All can alleviate SAD sufferers if they give these tips a shot:
Light therapy: One of the first things my doctor suggested was light therapy with a “happy light.” This happy light is essentially a natural spectrum light box. You sit a few feet from it and it will feel like you’re outdoors in the daylight. I’m not sure how it works exactly but Mayo Clinic says that it causes a change in brain chemicals linked to mood. It often seems to help me but it is incredibly bright and I can’t use it if my dad is going to be coming into the room (this is the same man who would have us use only one light or, his preference, sit in total darkness if my mom and I didn’t fight him on it). So, while it helps, I can only have it out occasionally.
Medication: As with other forms of depression, anti-depressants such as Wellbutrin can help. If you don’t have any form of depression the rest of the year, you can talk to your doctor about starting an anti-depressant before symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder kick in. If you’re like me and SAD makes preexisting depression worse, you can talk to your doctor about increasing your dosage, changing medication, or adding something to your current anti-depressant to see if it will help combat the added layer of depression during this time of year. Never reduce, increase, substitute, or otherwise change your medication or dosage without first consulting a medical professional, preferably the one who originally prescribed it to you.
Brighten and open up your living space: Sometimes something as small as opening the curtains, turning on some lights, or decorating your rooms more brightly can improve your mood. It sounds simple but brightening your living space, exercising, going outside, and taking care of yourself overall can make a huge difference in your mood and outlook.
For more information on Seasonal Affective Disorder and how to combat it, you can follow this link to the Mayo Clinic pages on the disease. Remember, there are no cookie-cutter solutions that work for everyone. You just have to keep trying different approaches until you find the one that works for you. In the mean time, all you can do is keep pushing and doing your best to reach your writing goals. Also, don’t ever be ashamed of taking a Mental Health Day.
Do you have any tips for writers suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Update 11/25/2022: This article and other pieces of my writing, from The Writer’s Scrap Bin articles to original stories and poetry, can be found on Vocal.
Well, here’s to another week, dear readers. I’m going to be rather busy this week, but I would still like to start it on a lighter note with my latest OBC review. In my previous post discussing outlines, I mentioned that I reviewed a book called Book Blueprint by Jacqui Pretty on OnlineBookClub.org. To my surprise, the review was approved and published not long after I released that post. As before, I can’t copy the review here for exclusivity reasons, but I can give you a brief feel for the book and post the link to the thread on the OBC.
Book Blueprint is a how-to book which helps entrepreneurs to write their own book in order to promote their businesses. It’s particularly interesting for budding entrepreneurs who need to establish themselves as experts in their fields. I read it because I’ve been entertaining the idea of writing a book for self-employed writers, but the details beyond that were hazy. Pretty’s work has certainly put me on the right track, and I’ll be sure to return to it in the future as I work towards my goal of writing a book to promote my business.
I know that, as writers already, my readers may not think Pretty’s advice worth pursuing. However, writing a book of this caliber is much different from writing fiction, poetry, and even other nonfiction works such as essays. Book Blueprint guides readers through the entire process from choosing the right idea and the right kind of book to using the right language for their audiences. Being a fiction, poetry, or nonfiction writer will give you an edge in the process but this book will give you the tools with which you can best use this edge.
If you want to review books for the OBC or would like to have your book reviewed on the site (or just want to find some good books for a discount), you can visit OnlineBookClub.org or you can get the basic information from my post covering the reviewing opportunity.
I recently finished reading a book called Book Blueprint by Jacqui Pretty (the review will, hopefully, be appearing on OnlineBookClub.org in the next few weeks, barring any unforeseen circumstances). It’s about planning and writing a book as an entrepreneur to promote your business. It got me thinking about something which is useful in fiction, nonfiction, and academic writing, and I think it’s something which NaNoWriMo participates can benefit from: creating an outline.
At one point or another, you were probably made to create an outline for an essay in primary school (I was in high school). It might have helped you write a better essay, or it might have been a big waste of time for you. Not everyone thinks in a way which makes outlining useful. Still, you might want to consider returning to the method as a professional writer, no matter how novice or advanced your career may be.
An outline can organize your thoughts when they are otherwise jumbled. Many problems of inspiration can be alleviated by creating a sketch of what you want to write ahead of time. It won’t completely solve the issue of writer’s block and lack of inspiration, but having your original ideas to refer to can help.
In fiction, pre-planning could ease the burden of the “sagging middle.” If you outline your story or novel ahead of time, you can get a rough idea of how to transition from one scene to another. When you get stuck (aren’t sure of how to proceed, forgot a character’s name, etc.), you can return to your outline for an extra boost of inspiration, if nothing else.
The Freytag Pyramid is a well-known, perhaps infamous, way to plan fiction.
With nonfiction and academic writing, an outline is almost a necessity. You have to know what you’re going to write about, how to transition from one argument/event/whatever to another, and the point you’re making with this piece. Planning all this out beforehand will save you a lot of head-banging and pen-clicking later.
Of course, outlines aren’t for everyone. Fiction writers in particular have a hard time with planning their work. Some writers find that outlines stimulate their imaginations and keep their thoughts straight. Others, however, find planning rigid and constrictive, thus stunting their inspiration and blocking the creative flow. Outlines are incredibly useful in nonfiction and academic writing, but in fiction writing there’s a 50/50 chance that outlining will also slow down the process.
As with all writing advice, you have to personalize your approach to planning and outlines. One time it may work for you and the next it’ll derail your project. If you’re writing an essay or memoir, you’ll most likely want to use an outline. Writing a novel? Probably but no guarantee, although pre-planning will make NaNoWriMo go much more smoothly. A short story? Maybe not. You have to take it all in stride. Eventually you’ll learn what works best for you when.
Until then, an outline might be worth a try. Worst-case scenario: you have the bare-bones for a story that you can follow very loosely, like guidelines.
What’s been your experience with planning your pieces? Do you use an outline or do you prefer to jump right in? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
To start off the weekend, I’ve decided to review a quick, cute children’s picture book called Oscar the Loveable Seagull by Mark Johnson. Since it’s a children’s picture book, your kids might appreciate it more than you would but I still think it’s an amusing read for people of all ages, especially if you’re looking for something heartwarming to help you and the child(ren) in your life end the day.
Oscar the Loveable Seagull follows Oscar, a seagull with peculiar blue feet who’s loved by everyone despite being the odd man out. As his siblings get stronger, Oscar remains weak and unable to fly. One day he falls out of the nest and his parents cannot get him back up. They care for him as long as they can but the day comes when the entire family must move on. Much to their distress, Oscar’s parents have to leave him behind.
With the help of an eagle and a dog named Cooper, Oscar learns how to gather food and care for himself. He grows stronger and more confident each day with the help of his friends, but will Oscar ever be able to fly? Will this loveable seagull ever be reunited with his family?
Overall, Johnson has written a very entertaining story which I would gladly read to my own children if I had any. It contains lessons about nurturing others, never giving up, and how being different doesn’t mean you have to be ostracized. Especially in the “dog-eat-dog,” “us vs. them” mentality of modern American culture, I think that these lessons are very important for children to learn in order to create a loving, mutually-beneficial society.
While lessons are very important for a children’s picture book, the characters and plot are even more crucial. Johnson manages to create very pleasant characters, particularly Oscar (he is, after all, the loveable seagull). My favorite characters, however, are the wise old eagle and Cooper the dog.
These two animals, while they have nothing to gain from it, selflessly put aside their predatory instincts to help this defenseless young bird (reluctantly) abandoned by his family. The eagle most certainly seems bizarre since eagles hunt seagulls rather than help them (as Johnson points out in the book). There are many cases of dogs raising abandoned kittens, a gorilla and a kitten or a dog and deer being friends, and other mismatched animal pairs in domestic situations, and it’s an area which Johnson definitely uses to his advantage in order to engage readers.
My one problem with the characters is that I wish the eagle had a name. All of the other side characters had names but, for whatever reason, the eagle did not. It’s a bit annoying and, given the rest of the effort put into this story, seems a little lazy. The lack of name does not detract from the character or the book, but a name for the eagle would have been nice.
As a very young children’s book (think around preschool or kindergarten age), the plot is simplistic. Nevertheless, I was able to identify a fully-developed plot with some anticipation and a desire to know if things turn out well for the main character. That well-defined arc, I think, will help young readers remain interested in the book while not being so complicated as to confuse them. I know that I, from an adult’s perspective, appreciated having even the slightest plot in this book, so I’m sure that parents and other caregivers will be happy to read their children this story without getting bored.
The illustrations are very colorful and do Oscar’s signature blue feet justice. A professional—or at least some talented artist—clearly did these drawings and child readers will love seeing Oscar’s attempts to fly and his days playing with the eagle and Cooper. The pictures also remind me of images from stories I read when I was little, a piece of nostalgia which parents will like to see.
While the illustrations are beautiful, I wish that the font for the text were different. The Kindle e-book I got from Amazon shows what appears to be Times New Roman font for the text, perhaps at 12-point but I’m not sure. It was very small and almost lost within the illustrations. I would have preferred the font to be bigger, perhaps even bolded, but at least big enough that I could easily see it contrasted against the illustrations. As with the eagle’s name, this aspect did not detract from the overall quality; it’s a personal preference and very well could have just been an issue with my device.
The story is short, fast-paced, and has the feel of the author telling the story right to you. Children will be captivated by the drawings and Oscar’s loveable nature, while the parents will find a throw-back to their own childhoods and appreciate the lessons about never giving up and taking care of each other. It reminded me quite a bit of Janell Cannon’s Stellaluna, a book which I loved when I was a child. I highly recommend Johnson’s Oscar the Loveable Seagull for my readers with children, who are about to have children, or frequently babysit a friend’s or family member’s children.
You can buy Oscar the Loveable Seagull as an e-book for $5.99 on Amazon. Also be sure to check out Mark Johnson’s blog, Facebook page, and Twitter account for more information on the author and that fuzzy oddball seagull.
Do you know of any books I should read? Want your book reviewed on this blog? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com or message me on Fiverr and I’m sure we can arrange something.
Happy Friday, everyone! I have another writing contest/publishing opportunity to bring you today, this time from the magazine The Writer. It’s not for fiction writers or poets, although this experience could certainly help you prep your entry. This opportunity is called “Your Writing Life”.
“Your Writing Life” is an essay contest from The Writer with the possibility of having your essay published in the magazine. Here are some crucial details:
Any topic is fair game for your essay so long as it pertains to some aspect of writing. So, you can write about something like struggling to make time to write as the mother of a newborn or balancing a 9-to-5 job with your writing aspirations, anything as long as it discusses some aspect of writing.
The essay must be 2,000 words or less.
The entry fee is $25 for the first submission of the transaction. Each additional submission–up to 5 per transaction–costs $15 a piece.
You can pay an additional $25 to receive a 200-word critique of your essay from the judging panel, which includes both what you did well and what you can improve on. However, you can only receive critique for one essay, even if you submit multiple to the competition.
You must submit your entry using the online entry form. No e-mail or postal submissions are accepted.
The deadline is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on January 1, 2018.
The prize will be $1,000 and publication in the April 2018 issue of The Writer. Every essay they receive will be considered for publication in The Writer.
I have a general idea for an essay and may enter this contest, but life lately has taught me not to make too many promises in those regards so it may or may not happen. Hopefully I’ll be able to; it’s quite the opportunity!
Good luck to everyone who chooses to enter.
Do you know of any unique publishing opportunities or writing contests with upcoming deadlines? Drop a line in the comments or e-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and I will try and discuss it in a future Friday Fun-Day post.
Happy Hump Day, readers and writers! Today I want to bring you a special announcement about a writer whom I’ve reviewed on this blog before, Wren Cavanagh. You may remember her as the author of The Last Flag and Of Cats and Sea Monsters or as the editor/co-writer of the Summer of Magic anthology. I’m happy to say that Cavanagh has a new novelette out called Honeycomb: Revelations.
A science fiction novelette, Honeycomb follows Quint, a level seven cyborg, as attempts to solve the mysterious of the disappearances plaguing the debtor colony on the planet of Honeycomb. Monsters, mayhem, and guilt-ridden struggles for survival unfold.
What–or who–is behind the disappearances? What sort of beast lies waiting beneath the surface of Honeycomb? And who will survive to make it off that God-forsaken rock?
This story is published through the small press Notch’s Publishing House, which dedicates its efforts to “creature-feature” type stories.
Cavanagh has put a lot of thought and imaginative energy into the world of this novelette, and I’m very excited to see her take it further. It’s an exciting piece of classic science fiction, although it certainly does not feel played-out or like anything I’ve read before. As a bonus, Cavanagh has added the story “Goblin’s Amends”, her piece from the Summer of Magic anthology, to the end of the Amazon copy.
I will provide a thorough review of Cavanagh’s new work sometime next week. Until then, I recommend Honeycomb: Revelations for fans of science fiction, particularly those who appreciate colonization elements and don’t mind a few grotesque descriptions with their mystery and speculative fiction.
Honeycomb: Revelations is available as an e-book on Amazon for $0.99.
Do you know of any small-press/indie books that are coming out? Want to help extend their reach? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and we can discuss featuring the release in a future post.
Well, writers, we’re one week into NaNoWriMo 2017. I should’ve talked about it sooner but, hey, I’ve had a lot on my plate. Point is from now through the end of November, I will be bringing you posts about NaNoWriMo success stories, tips on how to best make it through those 50,000 words, and distractions to keep you from going entirely insane from this process. (Of course, we’re writers; I’m not sure many of us were sane in the first place.)
If you don’t know what NaNoWriMo is, here’s a brief explanation: National Novel Writing Month (shortened to NaNoWriMo) is a sort of writing sprint. Every November writers, both novice and experienced, dedicate their spare time (and then some) to writing a 50,000-word novel in thirty days. To some, it sounds easier than it actually is; to others, it’s a petrifying prospect of monumental proportions. All I know is that it’s not easy and it’s not for everyone.
A confession: I have never participated in NaNoWriMo and I don’t plan to this year. I have a feedback session and a critical response due before the end of the month. I’d rather not hold myself to a deadline of 50,000 words in thirty days if I don’t have to.
But that leads to my first word of advice: if you don’t succeed this NaNoWriMo, it won’t be the end of the world. Whether you run out of time, run low on steam, or decide that you just can’t do it this year, it’s no big deal. It’ll boost your self-esteem and put you ahead of schedule on your next book if you finish, but it won’t break your career if you don’t. Just have fun with it.
Here’s some more advice: if you simply can’t fit NaNoWriMo into your busy life this month, make your own Novel Writing Month. You won’t have the community and virtual badges that you get when you participate in the official national event, but the badges aren’t the point, are they? The point is to kick your writing rear in gear and finally put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard). You can find your own community in friends who write, forums, and, as always, this blog.
Be sure to keep an eye out for more of my tips and success stories as the month rolls along (when your hands start cramping from all your writing). Until then, good luck to all participants!
Have you taken this challenge before? Do you have any personal NaNoWriMo successes to share? Advice for newbies? Drop a line in the comments below or e-mail your thoughts to thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com for a chance to have them featured on this blog.
It’s no secret that I love Disney. I watch their movies and TV shows all the time, go to the Disneyland Resort at least once a year, and, 9 times out of 10, I’m proud to admit that I’m obsessed with the franchise. Today is the rare 1 out of 10 when I’m less-than-proud of the Mouse and Uncle Walt. The cause? Disney’s approach to its dispute with LA Times.
According to an article from CNNMoney, the issue started when LA Times published a two-part investigative report by Daniel Miller about Disney’s business ties with Anaheim, home to the Disneyland Resort. In the report, Miller accuses Disney of a “carrot-and-stick” approach to secure “subsidies, incentives, rebates and protections from future taxes in Anaheim”. MSN states that Miller quotes and cites local politicians on the matter, including Anaheim’s mayor, Tom Tait.
Disney claims the report is biased and driven by a political agenda, referring to an opinion piece from the Orange County Register which calls the LA Times report “a hit piece” with a “seemingly predetermined narrative.”
CNN received a statement from Disney which states, “Despite our sharing numerous indisputable facts with the reporter, several editors, and the publisher over many months, the Times moved forward with a biased and inaccurate series, wholly driven by a political agenda.”
In response to this disregard for journalistic standards, Disney banned LA Times film critics from advanced screenings of their films. Needless to say, that did not go over well, with several reporters declaring a protest of Disney advanced screenings in solidarity with LA Times.
Fortunately, Disney announced earlier today that it has lifted the ban after discussions with LA Times leaders. However, we still have an important matter to discuss: did Disney do the wrong thing when it banned LA Times film critics from advanced screenings?
I first need to say that I am not discussing the actual LA Times report in detail. That is an entirely different can of worms in and of itself, one which I can’t thoroughly cover here. (Although I do question the journalistic methods used and the conclusions drawn.) Instead, I want to focus on Disney’s response as a social and business decision.
Personally, I think this was not Disney’s best decision of late. I spotted so many holes in this approach that it’s no wonder this ship sank. Let’s take a look at a few:
Violation of freedom of the press. This issue is clearly the one which the public has honed in on. Biased reporting or not, Disney tried to punish LA Times for publishing a report that the company didn’t like. That is a form of censorship. I’m guessing most people saw the backlash coming a mile away. In today’s political climate, the issues of freedom of speech and freedom of the press are incredibly touchy subjects. It’s a fire which big corporations like Disney shouldn’t start unless they want a drop in profits.
Negative attention for Disney. Let’s face it, Disney comes out looking like the bad guy here. The “little guy,” i.e. Daniel Miller and LA Times, tried to expose what they claim is a truth which the public should know. Disney, in turn, cut them from the inner circle of advanced movie screenings. A Robin Hood and King John image comes to mind here where, instead of money, Robin Hood–a.k.a. Daniel Miller and LA Times–appears to steal the “truth” from Disney and give it to the “truth-starved” masses. (I must emphasize that I have no clue who’s telling the truth in this situation and I’m reserving judgment until I learn more, although what I’ve heard doesn’t make LA Times look any better than Disney. However, Disney’s reaction certainly paints this narrative.) Most attention given to Disney in this scenario is negative, not exactly something such a large company wants or needs. Some people are pointing out Disney’s tax and employment contributions to Anaheim as well as all the work Disney has done for the city, but the general attention has been overwhelmingly negative.
Positive attention for LA Times. Not only does LA Times look like some sort of folk hero, they also get attention as a victim. They printed a story and they get punished for doing their job. A little hard not to empathize with them. Also, in order to understand the scandal, more people are going to be reading the original report. Not really the reaction Disney was hoping for.
Loss of publicity for films. These advanced screenings are to get word-of-mouth kicked up for movie releases. The fewer newspapers which publish reviews about a movie, the more likely that movie is going to struggle due to lack of exposure. Even before the protests Disney wasn’t doing itself a favor. Sure, Thor: Ragnorak and Disney’s other films get plenty of exposure through TV ads and movie trailers, but a good review can make or break someone’s decision to see that movie. LA Times has a huge reach; when coupled with the growing number of journalists who chose to support the newspaper, it could’ve done some damage. And the film critics didn’t even have anything to do with that report!
That guilty look. Most importantly, this reaction makes Disney look as though they have something to hide. If you have “indisputable facts,” why not present them through another paper or media outlet? I’m sure that, before this whole debacle, any news outlet would’ve given an arm and a leg to have the chance to publish Disney’s side of the story. It would’ve been like catnip to readers. Nothing like printing an opposing story to get a leg up on the competition. However, Disney chose to censor LA Times instead. I love the company and I want to hear their side in regards to their practices with Anaheim but that reaction doesn’t scream “innocent.”
Does all of this make me any less likely to watch Disney movies or visit the parks? No. Do I think Disney has provided a lot of jobs and services to Anaheim? Yes. Do I think that Disney has cheated Anaheim in its business practices? The jury is still out. Do I think that Disney reacted inappropriately? Yes. I am mostly on the same page as Jake Tapper:
i have nothing but love for both ABC and Disney (Went to Disneyworld in March w family). I think this one move is petty and beneath them.
I still have a high opinion of Disney and, therefore, hold them to a higher standard than most companies. I’m not saying that LA Times was right to publish this report. Frankly, the report sounds very biased and should have at least gone to the effort of including Disney’s side of the story. Regardless, Disney should know better than to react this way.
If nothing else, Disney should know how horribly such reactions backfire. It’s not a good business practice and, especially right now, not a good social practice. I think Disney had many other options that could have turned out much better for them. Instead, they chose the one that pretty much guaranteed that everyone will read the article they disagree with. I just hope that Disney finds a way to release their side soon so that we can all form a balanced, informed opinion on the matter.
